Brandon Weeden, shown looking for a receiver in this season's loss at Baltimore, is talented enough to rank with the AFC North's other quarterbacks, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday.John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer

BEREA, Ohio -- Brandon Weeden watched the Browns' first meeting against the Ravens on his iPad Tuesday night, but fast-forwarded right past the 63-yard interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Cary Williams that proved to be the game-winner.

Why spoil a good action flick, right?

"I didn't watch it," Weeden said. "It came at a crucial time in the game and you can't miss them there. You have to throw it toward the boundary more, toward the sideline. That was a costly play in the game."

But his review of the Browns' 23-16 loss, minus the pesky pick-six, left Weeden with a skip in his step heading into heading into Sunday's rematch.

"Josh Gordon hadn't really come into his own yet and I was doing some uncharacteristic things, missing some throws," he said. "We had some drops. We're not making the same mistakes and we've come a long way. After watching it ... it's very, very encouraging."

That first meeting, played with 26 first- and second-year players adjusting to the pro game, has Weeden dreaming of what might be on Sunday.

"I think this team is good enough to beat anybody in the league," he said. "Baltimore is a team with guys that have played in the Super Bowl and done good things for numerous years, so for us to be able to go down to the wire with a team like that with a bunch of young guys, it gives us confidence."

That, coupled with victories in two of the past three games, is putting the NFL on notice, Weeden said.

"I don't think teams really take us lightly anymore," he said. "We've got guys that have really raised some eyebrows and really make you stay on your toes. You can't just come to Cleveland or when you show up on Sunday, you can't just fold your tent. We're going to compete and play hard and it shows. Our defense is unbelievable. Having a defense like that, for an offensive player, that's something that I don't take for granted."

What's more, Weeden has made strides since that game. The pick-six was his seventh interception in four weeks, and he threw two more in New York the following week for nine in his first five outings. Since then, he's thrown only one in three games -- on a tipped ball against Cincinnati. In the past two games, he's been interception-free.

"I'm making a huge emphasis on it," he said. "I had four in the first game, then I bounced back. I saw how important it is. You cannot turn the ball over and I'm taking a lot of pride in that. They're going to happen every once in a while because I'm an aggressive thrower. But if I can limit those, I put our team in a lot better spot."

"The one [vs.] Cincy was batted at the line of scrimmage. That sucks. You just tip your hat and move on to the next play. Other than that, the last three games I've done a fairly decent job."

Coach Pat Shurmur stressed that Weeden should've learned from the first outing to "throw the ball accurately and on time. [The interception] was a good play by them. You need to be aware there are certain corners in the league that tend to jump routes and if you're throwing a controlled route, kind of a timing route toward the boundary, you've got to be aware of that."

Next on Weeden's to-do list is to raise his completion rate from its current 55.2 percent, which is tied for second-worst in the league.

"At Oklahoma State before my senior year, my goal was to be a 70 percent passer," he said. "[I want to] just raise that completion percentage to where I can give my guys a better chance to make plays."

He also hopes to improve in red zone offense. The Browns are tied for last with only 13 trips inside the 20 -- despite 16 takeaways by the defense. Of the few times they've gotten there, they're not punching it in. They're second-last in the league with only six red zone TDs, and their 46.2 percent TD rate is 23rd in the NFL.

"It's nice to complete balls, but it's also nice to complete balls in the last 10 yards in the end zone," he said. "Those are probably my two main focuses."

But Ravens coach John Harbaugh has noticed Weeden's progress -- enough to declare that the Browns have joined the ranks of their division foes with a premier passer.

"I'm very impressed with him," Harbaugh said on a conference call. "There are four really good quarterbacks in this division and that makes it a tough division.

"It looks like [Weeden's] really smart, he's got a nice arm and he's got good poise back there. He's got a really good feel for the rush and getting the ball out and those kind of things. One of the main thing is just not turning the ball over much and he's done a good job with that."

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